5 MORE HABITS PREVENTING YOU FROM LOSING WEIGHT

So far, we have looked at a whopping 10 eating habits or choices which can thwart your fat loss efforts. In this article we complete our list with 5 more eating habits which can keep you from losing weight.

Eating “Diet” Foods

We are often so happy when we see a new fat free, sugar free, reduced calorie or dark chocolate snack, but I learned there is no way you can simply take fat or sugar out of our beloved snacks and expect them to be worth buying. So, what was done differently? Often times fat free means more sugar, sugar free means more fat and both often mean artificial sweeteners as does reduced calories.

Where it is true that dark chocolate can improve health, lower the risk for heart disease and the flavonoids it contains are invaluable for other health benefits, it turns out, the dark chocolate sold on the shelves of your local pharmacy are often lade with sugar to counter the true bitter dark chocolate taste.

It is better to eat a snack which is nutritious and whole-foods based, like a fruit (yes, singular), nuts, berries or lightly salted stove top popcorn. To get the benefits of dark chocolate, make sure it is at least 70% cacao, does not have a high sugar content per serving and only one small portion such as three blocks per day.

Overdoing healthy foods

There definitely can be too much of a good thing, even those “superfoods” we flock to. Regardless of how healthy it is, it will likely contain calories.

All calories are created equal; some may be empty and some may come with much needed nutrients but they all provide the same energy. Too many calories will mean more stored fat. This principle can be reapplied to carbohydrates, oils, proteins, heck, even water. A simple example of this healthy abuse is fruit. Fruits and berries contain fiber, water, vitamins and minerals, and disease-fighting antioxidants. However, fruit contains the sugar, fructose, and many servings of a fruit range from 15 grams to 35 grams of sugar. When you take into consideration that 25 grams is the World Health Organization’s recommendation for the maximum amount of sugar you should ingest per day to avoid most sugar related illnesses, it becomes clear that for healthy foods you cannot risk overdoing them.

Alcohol

We live in a culture of alcohol. We know the damaging effects it can have, but for weight loss however be very aware that alcoholic beverages are calorie intensive. Just to list a few here are the caloric content of a few alcoholic beverages.

Beer, 12 ounces – 135 calories

Pina Colada, 9 ounces – 490 calories

Red wine, 8 ounces – 200 calories

White wine, 8 ounces – 193.6 calories

80-proof spirits, 8 ounces- 517 calories

Champagne, 8 ounces – 168 calories

Martini, 8 ounces – 441 calories

Cosmos, 8 ounces – 425 calories

Margarita, 8 ounces – 425 calories

Manhattan 8 ounces – 375 calories

Vodka 80 proof, 8 ounces – 512 calories

Essentially, with alcoholic beverages and weight loss, wait until you are at your goal weight, but at most drink on occasion and drink in very small quantities, or not at all. Insufficient water

We are mostly water. It is in every organ, tissue and cell of our body and is necessary for all our functions. Insufficient water will be reacted to as a stress which counters healthy metabolism, sufficient water helps to regulate hunger, and often thirst can trigger appetite.

Low dietary fibre

Aside from the well-known digestive tract and other health and regular bowel movement benefits of fibre, there are the less spoken of advantages of having a high fibre diet. As a bulking agent, fibre makes you feel fuller, reducing the feeling to pack in more calories. As a prebiotic, it can help to feed intestinal microorganisms which plays an important role in weight management, blood sugar control, immunity, mood and brain function.

We know eating a healthy balanced diet is important, but there are many influences attempting to get your attention. Be sure to strengthen your knowledge and more so your wisdom.